Ford Figo-based compact sedan - The Aspire

This is a discussion on Ford Figo-based compact sedan - The Aspire within The Indian Car Scene, part of the BHP India category; I still have a hunch, the Figo aspire petrol will fad away soon like the Figo.
- lackluster rear. Its ...

I still have a hunch, the Figo aspire petrol will fad away soon like the Figo.
- lackluster rear. Its boring like the Sail.
- lackluster petrol. 77 hp on a 1000+ kg car would be dragging in this segment. Neither is engine as refined as the Dzires and Xcents.

Diesel will bring the initial sales tough. Believe they should go ahead with the 90hp engine to create a differentiator. It is anyways decently fuel efficient in the Fiesta and Ecosport. Guess Ford will try to hit the 25kmpl ARAI numbers with a 75 hp engine.

Pricing again will remain the key. Lower models seem very basic. Wrong lesson learnt from economy Hondas. Make it 40k ex-showroom cheaper than Amaze and Dzire and they are all set. Not to forget the Dzires and Xcent diesel are already selling at good discounts.

A sub 4m sedan can only be that much well-proportioned, so rear of Aspire ought to be excused (even Fiesta has issues with rear). The car otherwise looks good IMO.

And if Ford has opted fuel efficiency over power in C2 segment, C1 is even more sensitive. Offering 100 hp diesel in Aspire will be very surprising. Same is the case for ecoboost. Even in Ecosport, it is not the popular choice and as per the dealerships in NCR, 1.5l duratorq outsells it by a wide margin. This ratio, perhaps, reflects on the fraction of enthusiasts among total buyers.

I still have a hunch, the Figo aspire petrol will fad away soon like the Figo.
- lackluster rear. Its boring like the Sail.
- lackluster petrol. 77 hp on a 1000+ kg car would be dragging in this segment. Neither is engine as refined as the Dzires and Xcents.

May I ask, which according to you is the most exciting car in this segment?

The rear is uninspiring like the front yes, but it is inline with the Xcent and the Zest (barring the XXL sized tail lamps) and far better than the Amaze and the Xcent. The highlight of this segment is the integration of the boot to a car which is basically a hatchback and you can only do so much with the design. Try to do a bit more and it might look awkward. Comparing it to the sail is not being fair on the Aspire. I feel it is proportionate enough for a sub 4m sedan.
I hated the design of the new Fiesta when I saw the first pics in this very forum. Now I own one! Maybe Fords in India are not photogenic enough, barring the Ecosport ofcourse. Let's wait for the official review and then decide if its exciting or boring shall we?

The engines seem lackluster on paper but the performance and drivability will be good. How do I know? I own a car with an engine that seems lackluster on paper. In the real world, it is far better than how it is potrayed.

I would rate it as DZire (Awkward boot integration) < Zest (Good integration but tiny boot from side profile) < Figo Aspire (Feels like an abrupt end compared to the overall design) < Amaze / Xcent< Indigo CS.

Lol! Bet no one saw that coming. But I think TATA got it just right with the proportions. But with their second outing based on the larger Vista (Ok. Bolt!), they had little room to play with and ended up with the tiny boot on the Zest.

Aspire doesn't seem interesting to me, except for the fact that it could bring top end safety features for the first time in its segment. It tries to play too safe, and the end result is a total lack of USP IMO - and Fords without USP never sell much (Eg: The brilliant Fiesta). The should have brought in the Ecoboost engine or the 90ps diesel.

Also, I hope the EPS caliberation in the Aspire is more Fiesta than Ecosport!

It seems like Ford will soon kick off the promotions and will start marketing their product as the TVC Shoot has begun. According to Indian Car Enthusiasts on facebook, Ford has roped in Farhan Akhtar as their new brand ambassador looks like Ford has finally decided to invest on advertising!

Why would they want to use Farhan - didn't he advertise the Celerio? People might end up getting confused.

According to the folks at Indian Car Enthusiasts, their Source saw Farhan Akhtar in the driver's seat of the vehicle and just went through some other websites and they indeed confirm the same and I guess Celerio is not advertised by any bollywood celebrity.

Why would they want to use Farhan - didn't he advertise the Celerio? People might end up getting confused.

Quote:

Originally Posted by YashD

According to the folks at Indian Car Enthusiasts, their Source saw Farhan Akhtar in the driver's seat of the vehicle and just went through some other websites and they indeed confirm the same and I guess Celerio is not advertised by any bollywood celebrity.

...It is anyways decently fuel efficient in the Fiesta and Ecosport. Guess Ford will try to hit the 25kmpl ARAI numbers with a 75 hp engine....

Decent?! Fiesta is already rated at 25 kmpl and is right at the top (NOT the best though). A 75 bhp engine with the lower weight of the Aspire should see better results in terms of FE. I would NOT be surprised to see a 26 kmpl or "the MOST Fuel Efficient car in India" tag attached to this car.

Ford seems to corrected the meta description on the figo aspire website. The 100ps and leather seats are gone. Since the marketing guys are following this thread, "Please launch a good fuel efficient as well as reasonably powerful petrol motor else you are dead on arrival in petrol avataar".